Doncaster adventure girl going wild for a good cause

ADVENTURE loving Doncaster lass Gemma Bullock is set to clock up thousands of miles through global danger areas and dangerous animals in a battered old Land Rover.

The former Hatfield High School pupil is taking the four wheel drive from Doncaster to South Africa, on a route which will take her and partner Bryn Anders through states where the Government advises against travel and where lions roam the land.

But the pair, who share a love of travel and the outdoors, are all fired up to take on the challenge to try to raise thousands of pounds for charity.

They will set off either from Gemma’s dad Phillip Bullock’s home in Balby, or mum Mandy Holt’s home in Thorne, next month, and expect the epic trek to take them around six months, taking in 18 countries.

Gemma, aged 26, said: “We are trying to raise money for two great charities, Alzheimer’s Research UK and the iZulu Orphan project.

“Both of our lives have been affected by events that have caused us to have great respect for these charities and the work they do.”

Gemma chose the Alzheimer’s charity because she has an aunt who suffers from the illness, while Bryn, who is South African, wanted to support a South African charity which deals with poverty.

Before setting off on their journey they have spent a year planning, and modifying their vehicle.

Gemma said: “We decided this is what we wanted to do after seeing Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman doing something similar on the television in Long Way Down.

“Then I came home one day and Bryn had got the Land Rover, so that was that! We have been planning ever since.

“We’ve built a roof tent on top of the Land Rover, because we’re going to be sleeping on the roof to keep away from the lions.

“There have been challenges since we started planning. We originally planned to go through Libya, but we’re not sure we can do that now. Then we thought we’d drive through Turkey and Syria, but things erupted in Syria.

“So now it’s looking like we will take a ferry from Turkey to Egypt.

“When we get to Africa, I gather Sudan can be a bit risky, but we will be going through northern Sudan and hopefully that should be all right.

“The other issue apparently is there are places where you can get stuck at border-crossings for four days.

“Then there is the wildlife, like lions, and we were told the roads are a bit risky, with some people driving without headlights.”

Gemma admits her mum and dad are worried about her plans. Her dad has bought her a satellite phone to make sure she can keep in touch with him throughout.

She added: “We’re doing it for adventure. But there will also be charities who will benefit from what we do.

“The trip is funded entirely from our own pockets and all they money we raise will be split equally between the charities.”